SRINAGAR: Ghulam Nabi Azad, who quit Congress after half a century, to launch his own party said the new political platform will be announced within 10 days. In Baramulla, his first meeting in Kashmir post-resignation, Azad reiterated that he would stand for statehood and people’s right to their land and jobs.

Ghulam Nabi Azad in a public meeting at Dak Bungalow Baramulla on September 11, 2022. This was his first public meeting in Kashmir after he quit Congress after over 53 years.

“The national party is not my priority at the moment. Because that needs a lot of consultations and other seniors have to be in the fold,” Azad said in his speech. “My first priority is J&K and 90 percent of the Congress [J&K] has come with me already.”

“I have not decided upon a name for my party yet. The people of J-K will decide the name and the flag for the party. I’ll give a Hindustani name to my party that everyone can understand,” Azad said. “My party will focus on the restoration of full statehood, right to land, and employment to native domicile.”

Most of Azad’s speech in the Dak Bungalow Baramulla was against the party he had quit recently. This was his first public meeting in Kashmir. After a major rally in Jammu, Azad went to the Pir Panchal Valley where he spoke to a number of well-attended gatherings.

In anticipation of his rally in Baramulla, reports in the media said eight councilors of the municipal council resigned from Apni Party and joined him. “Yes, we resigned from Apni Party, and now we all will be part of Azad’s new team,” Omar Kakroo, corporator and former president of the municipal council, Baramulla, told The Hindustan Times on Saturday. “I think under Azad’s leadership we can contribute towards our people.”

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